5 must-have in-home technology for 2019

Smart home products are on the rise and the technology behind them is getting much more advanced. Asking Alexa to tell you a joke pales into the background when you now have gadgets that can hoover on demand, feed your pet at the click of a button or switch lights on and off.

The convenience that home devices provide is what makes them so popular and, if you’re prepared to leave some of them behind it could help you to sell your house fast when the time comes. Things like being able to monitor your property’s security from your smart phone, whilst you’re on holiday, is not only practical, it also offers peace of mind.

We take a look at the top 5 must-haves when it comes to in-home technology.

Ecobee4

This is a thermostat that also acts as its own Amazon speaker. This means that you’re able to control the temperature of your home via voice commands as well as play music, complete online shopping or anything else you might usually use Alexa or Assistant for. The Ecobee4 will control the room you’re in, rather than just the room it is installed in and it integrates seamlessly with other home voice control systems. The in-built sensors help to manage hot or cold spots and it can detect occupancy in a room. Due to its slightly higher price point, the Ecobee4 might not be your first choice, should you already have an Amazon speaker. However, it’s brilliant as a multi-functional tool if you’re fairly new to home ecosystems.

Ecovacs Deebot N79S

The Ecovacs Deebot integrates with your smart home systems so you can customise, schedule and monitor cleaning. In-built sensors prevent the Ecovacs from colliding with anything or falling off furniture, but it also has a manual steering option and comes with a remote control. A long battery life of 100 minutes is a real plus and the level of cleaning it provides is as good as any manual hoover, making this a pretty good piece of kit to have at home.

NetGear Arlo Q

Recording sharp quality video and audio content, even in pitch darkness, the NetGear Arlo Q is a really useful home security device. You can choose whether the camera automatically records while you’re out of the house or you can set a timer to fit around your schedule. You’ll receive smart alerts if unusual motion or sound is detected and it works in-sync with Alexa, Echo Show, Fire TV and Arlo smart home security lights. The back-up tool allows you to store the last seven day’s worth of video and audio on the cloud, making it one of the more popular smart home security systems.

TP-Link HS200

Smart light switches might seem like something that encourages laziness, but actually, they’re really handy because they’ll work whether or not your physical light switch is up or down. They’re ideal for security purposes because you can control them from your phone. This means that, if you plan on getting home late, and want to make sure you can see your way up the drive, you can switch your porch light on by going on the app. They’re a good way of saving energy as well because you can tell the app, Kasa, that you’re in a certain room and can instruct it to switch off lights that are on elsewhere.

Amazon Echo (2nd Generation)

This is a really great device as, not only is it affordable, it has a bunch of really handy functions. You can connect to Alexa to play music, make calls, set alarms and timers, check your calendar and see what the weather has in store for you, amongst other things. The upgraded speaker has Dolby processing to fill the room with immersive sound and noise cancelling technology ensures you can be heard from any direction. Connect it to your other compatible smart home devices to control smart lights, switches and thermostats. The Echo 2nd gen enables you to order a taxi, takeaway or switch on the TV without having to lift a finger. Genius.